Convert records button

Converting Records

Creating a button in order to convert records to post some data values in an entry to be saved in another sheet can be done with this custom action button.

Your users will be able to click an action button in your source sheet to create a copy of your data (which can be all of your fields, or a selection of your field values) to be saved in this other sheet.

This linking type is different from having multiple versions of the same sheet as when you convert a record, the data values will be essentially copied and saved in a new entry in another sheet, and will not be using the same data pool. Therefore, it is possible to overwrite the data in the converted record without having it being changed in the source.

Creating a Link to convert records from one sheet to another

To create an action that will enable users to convert an entry from a source sheet to another sheet that the data will be saved into, click on the Convert Records option under the Sheet Linking Options button in the Design Mode of your source sheets' form page.

In our example below, we will be creating a sales order sheet that will use values from a quote sent to a customer.

The Quotes sheet already has some values for the customer to decide if they would like to place a sales order or not. At this stage, we do not have a link with the Sales Orders sheet.

The Sales Orders sheet is very similar to the structure of the Quotes. Having a similar design or sharing many fields is not a necessity for converting records, but it's helpful to be consistent with your design.

Navigate to the Design Mode of your sheet that will contain the source values. In our example, this is the Quotes sheet, as we'll be creating a sales order according to the values we quoted to the customer.

Click Form Tools to see a list of custom action button types you can add to your form. Click Convert Records.

This will display a dropdown with a list of sheets in your account. Select the sheet where you'll save values from the source. For our example, this is the Sales Orders sheet.

In this step, you'll be asked to map fields to each other. The section Use value from this field will show you fields from the source sheet, while the Fill in this field section will display fields that are in the destination sheet. Select the fields that you'd like to save during the conversion, this can be all the fields on your sheet, or only some of the fields on your sheet depending on your specific requirements.

Make sure that you have mapped all fields correctly. Depending on your sheet design, the field names can be the same, or entirely different. It's always helpful to have clear field names in order to have clear communication with different database designers and other users in your account. Once your done with the fields you'd like to map, click Create convert record button.

Ragic will prompt you to enter a name for the action button that your users will see. Make sure that the action name you are writing will be clear to other users.

After confirming the above, Ragic will have added your record conversion as an action button, which will be accessible from the Actions menu under your Form Settings. Make sure that you save your form design for your new action button to take effect.

Using the Action Button to Convert Records

Once you have completed all the steps to create a convert record link, you'll be able to see your new action button on the lower-right corner of your saved records in your source sheet. When a user clicks this button, this will create a new record in your destination sheet.

In our example, after clicking the Create Sales Order from Quote action button, the values from our quote record will be saved as a new record in our sales orders sheet. This way, we're able to see the Quote ID of the original quote that was sent to the customer, and all other related field values from our quote such as the product line items are being copied as well.

Each time the action button is clicked, a separate new record will be saved in the destination sheet. In this example, this means that we can generate different sales orders from the same quote.

You can make revisions to your destination sheet to have more fields according to your specific requirements. In our case, this could be adding the tax percentage and amount, and a discount percentage that is applied before the sales order is finalized.

Other configurations for action buttons

Additional Settings

There are some additional settings you can configure for action buttons, you may refer to this article for detailed information.

Remove the action button

If you want to remove the action button, you may refer to this article.